Muggle Studies
by the police are coming
Summary: please read and review... flame me if you want, i dont care
1. CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE  
  
I was almost to the door. Just a few more steps stood between me and freedom. I glanced over my shoulder in nervous excitement and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my foster father of three years was still off his face, dozing on the lounge. I would make it! I reached out a shaking hand and clutched the big brass handle, swinging the old wooden door open. That same door had kept me prisoner in that grubby old house for three years and to finally beat it felt like world domination. It was the first time that door had ever opened freely to me; my foster mother must have slipped up when deadlocking it.  
  
I let out a stifled cry as I placed my first bare foot out of the house in three long years. The green grass was cool and soft under my feet and the dampness soothed me. I reached into my bag quickly and pulled out a pair of old thongs that were so worn that the sole was almost as thin as paper. Dropping them to the ground, I slipped them on.  
  
Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. A hacking cough from behind me filled me with dread. He was awake. That monster who had kept me locked in that house for three years was awake and he wasn't going to let me leave, at least not without a fight.  
  
"Where do ya reckon you're going missy?" came his slurred voice from behind me.  
  
I stiffened as I felt him move towards me. I couldn't turn around to face him, I was too much of a coward. A shiver ran down my spine as images of past arguments popped into my mind... I had to turn around; it was the only way to survive his cruelty.  
  
I chanced a quick change in direction, hoping that he wasn't already advancing upon me. He wasn't. He was leaning against the veranda post, watching me with that lob-sided grin, his yellow, broken teeth making me want to gag. I fought down my revulsion and the increasing urge to vomit. I had to remain strong, or he would kill me for sure.  
  
"Leaving." I told him plainly, thanking God that my voice didn't show the panic I felt.  
  
He let out a short, evil laugh and wiped his grubby face on the beer Singlet he was wearing, the same Singlet he had been wearing for the last month. He really was revolting and I couldn't believe I had survived so long in his house of hell.  
  
"Leavin' are ya?" Where do ya reckon you're goin' to? You got no one. Only me and your mother!" he yelled back at me in amusement, leaving the veranda and coming closer.  
  
I stepped back out of instinct. The little voice in my head was yelling 'run, run!" but I couldn't move. I could only managed a few stumbling steps back, tripping over my own feet. He only laughed harder at my blundering, breaking off from his hacking noise when he was over come with yet another coughing fit.  
  
"You are not my parents!" I yelled back with as much calmness as I could master.  
  
I was suddenly over come with a feeling of power. How dare this man stand before me, after keeping me a prisoner for three years in that house, and tell me what to do, tell me I had no where to go. I did have some place to go, but hell would freeze over before I told him where it was.  
  
"Me and Betty been as good as parents! We took ya in when no one else would. Not even your parents wanted ya!" he spluttered in anger.  
  
"My parents are dead! You only took me in to do your bidding. I was your slave!" I cried as I chanced another step back.  
  
"We gave ya a better home than most would have. We gave ya the food off our table and the clothes off our backs and what thanks do Betty and me get? We ask ya to do a few chores here and there and ya try running!" his face was growing red with the heat of the sun and the alcohol in his blood, I could see a vein pulsing dangerously in his neck.  
  
"A few chores? I did everything! Anyone could have given me a better home than you and Betty have!" I yelled.  
  
I couldn't stop myself. I knew I was making him angrier with each insulting remark I spat out but my anger far surpassed his. My anger had been boiling away inside of me for three years and now I was finally getting a chance to vent it, no matter how much trouble I was getting myself into.  
  
"You just shut your mouth. Betty and me done nothin' but keep you safe." he hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
"By locking me in that house and not letting me outside? What do you think was going to happen to me? You and Betty hurt me more than anyone would have on the streets!" I screamed.  
  
It was true. For three years I had been a human punching bag to both him and Betty. I had cuts, bruises and burns all over my body to prove it too, if only they had let me out of that house I would have been long gone by now. I would have gone to the police; I would have gone to anyone who could have helped. Now was not the time to be bringing that up though. The more I stalled and kept him out on the lawn, the more venomous his hits and kicks would be should I not be able to get away. "I don't want to hear ya turning my wife's name into mud. You can't prove we done nothin' to ya. No one is gonna believe a word ya say over me and Betty." He smirked, making me cringe.  
  
I had nothing left to say to this man. I couldn't think of any more that's described the deep hatred I felt towards him or his wife. We stood there, in the fresh front lawn staring each other down. I wasn't going to look away from his eyes that were shooting daggers at me. I wasn't going to let him win.  
  
"You get your lazy, ungrateful ass back inside! Now! Get in here right now before I come down there and make ya!" he yelled.  
  
"No!" I screamed.  
  
Surely someone would hear my cries and alert the police.  
  
"What did ya say girl?" he took another step closer, his face breaking out into another evil smile.  
  
I was giving him an excuse to hurt me.  
  
"No." I said, this time a whisper.  
  
I was so scared I couldn't move. I just stood there watching him creep closer and closer to me.  
  
"No? I'll give you a reason to say no!" he cried lunging forward, aiming for my neck.  
  
I was too quick for him. Years of abuse had made my reflexes as sharp and an eagles and I was able to doge the first blow. I wasn't so lucky the second time.  
  
When he stumbled after missing me, he somehow managed to regain balance before lashing out and hitting me squarely on the nose. It hurt. The first punch always did. But I had had much worse and I was able to stay standing for the second and third blow.  
  
My foster father was relentless. Cuffs to my face soon brought me to the ground and that was when the kicking began. I felt his foot connect with my side and I let out a piercing scream. I hadn't done that in a long time, at least for two years. I had learnt to remain quiet and not let him think he had won.  
  
This scream was different though. It wasn't a scream of pain, more of a battle cry. A feeling of power overcame me. I had never experienced it before, but it gave me strength.  
  
My foster father mistook my screams as a sign that I was weakening. He straightened with triumph, and I knew it was now or never. With the anger of years of abuse and maltreatment, I kicked up and out, hitting him squarely in the crutch of his pants. He doubled over instantly.  
  
I stood as quickly as my broken body would allow, panting heavily. My lip and brow was bleeding and my eyes were already becoming puffy. I didn't need a mirror to know that my face looked a mess.  
  
"You bitch!" my foster father groaned, dropping to the ground.  
  
His face was constricted into a look of sheer pain and he was sweating profusely.  
  
I didn't wait to find out what happened next. I grabbed up my bag and ran.  
  
A/N: Thanks so much to my very first reviewer! Honestly, this is the first fic I have ever written and it was going to be the last after no one responded to it. So thanks again and keep reviewing!  
  
A/N: Just one last thing. For my next chapters I am going to be introducing new characters so if you want your name or any name to be included leave it in your review and I'll see what I can do! 


	2. CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO  
  
Draco Malfoy was in the manor's living room having a heated debate with his parents. It was about the Dark Lord, a topic that Draco had been keen to avoid since the return of Voldemort.  
  
"I'm not ready to become a Death Eater yet father! Draco argued.  
  
His mother threw up her hands in defeat, seeing that it was useless to have this conversation with her son while he was being so stubborn. Draco's father, however, did not give up that easily.  
  
"Why, may I ask, not? I was your age when I joined the Great Lord's league. It is an appropriate to begin your initiation into the most inner circles of our Dark Lord's workings." Lucius Malfoy said, trying to remain calm while his son pleaded his case.  
  
Draco would become a Death Eater whether he wanted to or not. It was far better to let him assume that he had a choice in the matter, though, first.  
  
"I'm only sixteen! I haven't had time to consider my possibilities in this world. I'm not even certain I want to become a Death Eater." Draco told his parents as his mother poured herself a glass of wine a flopped down onto a leather chair.  
  
"Don't you want to make us proud, Draco?" Nacrissa asked her son in a pleading tone.  
  
Draco dropped his gaze. He knew what his parents were doing. They were taking him for a guilt trip but he wouldn't let them get to him.  
  
"Of course I do mother!" Draco insisted.  
  
"It isn't just us, Draco. The Dark Lord has requested you join his league. He seems to think that you would do very well working closely next to him." Lucius said.  
  
Now this was a different story. Draco had never thought that the Dark Lord himself would request his services. Maybe following in his father's footsteps wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.  
  
"How would I be able to aid the Dark Lord whilst I am still at school? Dumbledore keeps a tight grip on all of his students, there is very little one could do that would escape unnoticed." Draco asked.  
  
His father and mother beamed at him. They knew they were finally getting him to agree.  
  
"Plenty. The Dark Lord is most curious as to what Dumbledore has planned for you this year. With that letter you received about being chosen to participate in a Ministry experiment, you could become the missing link the Dark Lord needs to find out the motives behind the Ministry's plan."  
  
Draco sighed, his mind made up.  
  
"Fine. I will join our Lord's ranks. Now, may I please prepare for school? The muggle lover, Dumbledore, wants me to brings along muggle clothes."  
  
Draco's parents allowed him to escape to his room where he continued to prepare for his journey to Hogwarts the next day.  
  
X  
  
Professor McGonagall had asked the eight students who Dumbledore had chosen to participate in the Ministry experiment to remain behind in the Great Hall after the welcome back feast. Draco glanced around the room, noticing that all the students picked happened to be in the sixth year. Besides Draco, the only other Slytherine was Blaise Zabini. The other students were Draco's archenemy, Harry Potter and his two followers, Hermonie Granger and Ron Weasley, all from Gryfindor, Sally-Anne Perks and Susan bones from Hufflepuff and Lisa Turnpin from Ravenclaw.  
  
Draco couldn't believe his unluckiness. Not only was he to spend a year away from the castle, which he had come to call his home for the majority of his teenage life, but also he was to share this outing with a group of people that would never be of an equal stance with him.  
  
McGonagall called them to gather around and they all did with intense interest. Draco listened especially hard, after all, he was on a mission for the Dark Lord, and he didn't want to screw it up. His father had warned him of the severe penalties that would be used should anyone under the Dark Lord fail the task that had been set for them.  
  
"The Ministry of Magic has, in light of the recent threat of attack against the muggle and magical worlds, decided to perform an experiment that would assess how our two worlds would come together if ever threatened on a monumental scale by Lord Voldemort. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, has enlisted the help of Professor Dumbledore and, therefore, Hogwarts. The Minister has requested eight students to take part in his experiment. Professor Dumbledore has chosen you eight before me because of your diverse backgrounds and experiences with muggles. As of today, you will be living as a small community in a secluded camping ground. Eight cabins have been set up close to a string of small community shops, there for your own convenience because once in the camping ground, you will be living everyday lives outside the castle. In this small community, some of you may come into contact with a few muggle gadgets that you have never seen before. Should you have any queries on this, you should ask your muggle partner who would kindly inform you of the items purpose.  
  
The Minister has requested you live out the year with a muggle companion who will hopefully provide you with a wealth of knowledge on how they live. Magic is permitted and will be of a great help later on in the experiment, as will the muggle skills you will all no doubt acquire. The muggles that have been recruited for this experiment, however, have not been informed of your magical abilities and it is up to each of you to break the news to your partner and help the adjust to these circumstances.  
  
Professor Dumbledore wishes me to inform you that any magic used against the muggles will be dealt with as a serious offence. You all must remember that you are not only participating in a Hogwarts assignment, which I might add you will be graded on at the end of the year individually and as a group, but you are also performing a Ministry experiment and the Ministry of Magic strictly forbids the use of magic against muggles.  
  
A number of tasks will need to be completed throughout the course of the year and these will include a number of surprise attacks that you will have to join together with your muggle counterparts to help defeat. The Minister asked me to pass on the message that by forgetting your differences and working together, you will better achieve your ends.  
  
Now, it is time for you to meet your new muggle friends and become part of this newly formed community. A port-key will take you to a small area about ten minutes walking distance from the campsite. A Ministry official will meet you there and take you all to your designated cabins. Your trunks will hopefully be arriving at your cabins now. Good luck and have fun knowing that you are doing the Ministry a service by participating in this experiment. See you at the end of the year!"  
  
Professor McGonagall held up a smelly looking old boot, which each student took hold of. As soon as Draco touched the shoe, he felt a sharp pulling sensation behind his naval and the Great Hall began to spin before him. A feeling of light-headiness came over him and Draco let go of the boot but instead of losing his balance and falling onto the hard Great Hall floor, Draco found himself faced down in a patch of grass. They were in a leafy green forest.  
  
"Welcome to Stanley National Park. My name is Harman Tape, officer from the experimental committee at the Ministry of Magic, and I will be your escort to the Kedron community." A middle-aged man with a long black beard and piercing grey eyes informed the group of Hogwarts students.  
  
"Kedron community?" someone asked through a mouthful of dirt they had no doubt collected when falling to the earthy ground.  
  
"Why yes! We couldn't have your little community form without giving it a proper name. Now if you would all right yourselves into the standing position and follow me through here, I will lead you to your designated cabins."  
  
And so the students, led by Harman Tape, trekked through the thick trees of the forest until the came to a large clearing of trees that held the Kedron community they would soon be officially part of. The campsite was similar to the ones Draco had seen in a picture book of all things muggle when he had been young. His father had been keen to point out all the useless and horribly uncomfortable things muggles put themselves through for entertainment but Draco, at the time, had found the arrangement of little houses fascinating.  
  
A row of four cabins that stood side by side made up one wall of the small campsite. Almost one hundred metres away stood a string of buildings with funny names like newsagency and supermarket and laundry-mat that Draco presumed were the community shops. Another hundred metres from the end of the string of buildings were four more cabins that were arranged in the same manner as the previous ones. A veranda wrapped around the front of these cabins creating a country setting. A field of park area with picnic tables and plenty of grass sat squarely in the middle of all the buildings.  
  
Had he not been a Malfoy, Draco may have appreciated the cosy setting but as it happened, he was, and he had been taught that all things muggle were to be looked down upon with a fierce superiority. Now was a perfect opportunity to sharpen his sneer and snide remarks before meeting his miserable muggle.  
  
"We have to live here for an entire year? It is utterly barbaric!" Draco sneered with perfection.  
  
"Shut-up Malfoy, we would all rather you hadn't come along but as you have you may as well get used to your surroundings." Harry Potter said with exasperation from Draco's left.  
  
Draco shrugged and waited for Harman Tape to tell them what to do next. At that moment, the odd looking man was searching his pockets for something. Finally a pleased look came upon his face and Harman Tape pulled out a sheet of parchment with names on it.  
  
"Alright, alright, gather around. When I read out your name, step forward and I will point you in the right direction of your cabin. Your muggles will already be inside so it is advised you knock. They can be pretty jumpy I have experienced and will not hold back from lashing out." Harman said while gingerly rubbing a small lump that resided on the top of his head. The students listened as their names were called and stepped forward to met the muggle they would be living with. Draco was the last name on the list and when Harman Tape called him, he stepped forward.  
  
"Right, Master Malfoy. You are in cabin three, just behind me here. Watch out for this muggle, she's a feisty one, gave me this lump on my head with a frying pan!"  
  
Draco groaned but moved forward towards the door Harman Tape had indicated. Some sort of music was blaring from behind the door making a very loud racket. Draco knocked on the door three times but no body came to answer. Cautiously, he pushed the worn, wooden door open and was greeted with an even louder sound of pumping music. Quickly he closed the door behind him and surveyed the room.  
  
Draco had just stepped into the living room, which was decked out in worn furniture and joined onto an open plan kitchen and dinning room. The source of the music was quickly discovered to becoming from a silver metal box that Draco had never seen before.  
  
Taking another step further into the room, Draco noticed a girl crouching beside an open cupboard in the kitchen, clearly arranging the contents inside. Her back was turned and she hadn't noticed Draco yet. Just as Draco was deciding whether or not to move towards her and announce his presents so as not to meet the same fate as Harman Tape, the girl, who was singing off-key at the top of her lungs, stood up and turned around.  
  
The girl let out a piercing scream that outmatched the loud music. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, placing a hand to her heart. When her eyes reopened she gave a smile and picked up and silver thing from the kitchen bench and the music volume decreased.  
  
"You scared me half to death." She said moving forward and extending her hand, "I'm Georgia Thompson."  
  
Draco looked down at the petty white hand and then into the girls face. She was quite pretty with large green eyes and long brown hair that curled at the ends. However, a large bruise that encircled her eyes and came down the bridge of her nose ruined the image.  
  
"What happened to your face?" Draco asked bluntly, ignoring the hand.  
  
Georgia's smile faltered and she lowered her hand. Shrugging nervously, she raked a hand through her hair.  
  
"Um... nothing, it was just... just an accident, that's all." She stuttered, her confidence now in tatters.  
  
Draco didn't believe the girl for a second but chose not to press her, he would find out later what had happened to her. Instead, he walked past Georgia, heading for one of the three doors that framed the back wall.  
  
Pushing open the first one, Draco found himself in a bedroom that had a faded flowery bed cover and an old wooden wardrobe. Draco closed the door and walked into the next room, which happened to be a small bathroom. The last room was another bedroom, slightly bigger than the first and with a blue bed covering and more wardrobe space.  
  
"I took that room, I hope you don't mind." Georgia called from the kitchen.  
  
Draco gave a heavy sigh and stomped back to the flower room, his trunk was on the bed but Draco didn't feel like unpacking, he needed to set a few ground rules with the muggle first.  
  
"Before I get settled, I want to lay down a few ground rules, muggle." Draco said sitting down at the kitchen bench.  
  
"Muggle?" Georgia asked, narrowing her eyes and folding her arms across her chest. She had taken the comment as an insult.  
  
"Non-magic person," Draco said dully, "I'm a wizard and you are nothing but a common muggle."  
  
Georgia looked at Draco as though he had gone crazy. She had no idea there was such a thing as witches or wizards. As though answering her unspoken question, Draco produced his wand and performed a simple spell that shot a red ribbon from the tip of his wand. A dawning realization formed on Georgia's features.  
  
"So this is what this is all about. I finally get it." Georgia said, but left it at that.  
  
"Yes, well, back to my rules. Don't speak to me unless I speak to you, don't come near me, don't go near my room, don't touch my things and don't even try to rub your muggle ways off on me because I will not be a part of it. You can handle the house work, I'll be in charge of everything else." Draco told her simply.  
  
Georgia raised her eyebrows, clearly preparing for a fight.  
  
"Oh really?" she said, "Well here are a few rules for you. Don't come near me, don't go near my room, and don't touch my things. You will learn from me as you have been instructed to do and you wont order me around. I am not here to be your slave and if you so much as lay a finger on me, god help you."  
  
It was Draco's turn to raise his eyebrows. How dare this muggle tell him what to do. He was a Malfoy, he was on his way to becoming a Death Eater. The Dark Lord would never let a lowly muggle speak out of turn to him like this. Draco controlled his anger though, opting to let the muggle think she had gotten her way. He turned on his heel, heading for his room to unpack.  
  
Just as he reached the door to the flower room, Georgia called out to him.  
  
"You didn't say what your name was!"  
  
"Draco, Draco Malfoy." Draco replied and with that he retreated to the security of his room, slamming the door.  
  
From that moment, both Draco and Georgia knew that this year would be quite eventful.  
  
A/N: Don't forget to leave your name if you want to be included! 


	3. CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER THREE  
  
Since the first meeting between Draco and Georgia, things had not improved. Arguments were frequent and over such trivial things that Draco often laughed about it after with Blaise who had become a good friend since the experiment had begun. The downside to friendships being formed was that Georgia had become close friends with everyone in the small community of Kedron, muggle and magical alike. She had even managed to befriend Mrs. Salicylate who owned the small community supermarket, and that woman didn't like anyone.  
  
On this particular evening, Draco and Georgia were, as usual, at each other's throats. The truth was, Draco enjoyed getting a rise out if the muggle. It far outshone annoying the Golden Trio, even that mudblood, Granger.  
  
"Ever since you got here, I've done all the work! You laze about all day and order e around but your don't lift a finger yourself!" Georgia yelled at Draco as she washed up the plates and cutlery they had used for dinner.  
  
Draco was only proving her point further by sitting on the lounge, remote in hand. He had discovered the delights of television.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Draco asked innocently as he stretched out on the lounge.  
  
Georgia's eyes widened in disbelief and she splashed her gloved hands into the soapy water, creating a big splash. She spluttered, not being able to find words that described Draco's arrogance.  
  
"I pick up after myself, what more do you want?" Draco asked making Georgia let out an exasperated sigh and grunt angrily.  
  
"All I want you to do is a few chores. Wash the dishes, clean you own dirty clothes, and cook dinner sometimes. God! I fell like I'm trapped at home again! You're almost as bad as..." Georgia trailed off.  
  
She hadn't told anyone about her life and she didn't plan to but she had almost let her deepest, darkest secret slip.  
  
"Like who?" Draco asked, suddenly interested, "Who am I almost as bad as?"  
  
Georgia turned her back to the dishes, not able to face her enemy. Scenes of her past flashed before her eyes as she watched the soap bubbles glisten.  
  
Georgia being beaten with a leather belt, Georgia being taken to the hospital from school after a teacher discovered rubbery bubbles on her arms and legs, the smell of burning hair, Georgia looking in the mirror and seeing her own reflection, black and blue and almost unrecognisable from bruises... it was never ending.  
  
"No one you know." She finally replied, "Just help more often, okay?"  
  
Draco narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the girls back, wanting to know more. He didn't want to change the subject. He was interested about Georgia's past and wanted to know what kept her from speaking about it. The bruise over her eyes and nose at their first meeting indicated to Draco that she was abused. He wasn't sure why he wanted Georgia to share the no doubt horrid details with him, it was no doubt the same reason people watched those fatal car accidents they show on television. It is terrible to watch yet you can't tear your eyes away.  
  
Once again though, Georgia had managed to change the topic and steer the conversation onto a different path. There was no getting her to open up now, and Draco gave up.  
  
"Whatever." He said, flipping the television channel.  
  
X  
  
Georgia had invited Harry Potter and his friends, Hermonie, Ron and their muggle partners over for lunch. She had run into Harry while doing her washing and decided she needed a break. When Georgia told Draco, he was not a happy camper. In fact, he was furious.  
  
"Why did you go and invite them here for?" he asked, "It's bad enough with just you, let alone the whole muggle loving bloody clan." He added, intending that comment to be for his ears only.  
  
Unfortunately for him, it did not escape Georgia who flared up immediately.  
  
"You think you are so damn superior! You and your pure blood. You wouldn't even consider that a person with mixed heritage or no magical abilities at all can be just as, if not more, successful in life. Look at Hermonie if you need an example!" Georgia told him in a matter of fact tone.  
  
"Pure blood does make me superior and successful. It gives me a good name and I can do whatever I want, whenever I want and I can be what I want. I don't even have to lift a finger." Draco yawned, sitting at the kitchen bench on a high stool.  
  
"Well I figured that out already! You are so lazy, you don't lift a finger for anything!" Georgia agreed, her voice laced with sarcasm.  
  
"It always goes back to this, me not helping you. I couldn't care less if you do all the work, you're a woman, it's in your job description!" Draco yelled, knowing before he finished his sentence that he had pushed the wrong button.  
  
"Women's job?" Georgia screeched, "Oooh! One of these days..." She spluttered.  
  
Draco laughed at Georgia's word shortage, only succeeding in irritating Georgia further.  
  
"You are a conceited bastard!" Georgia spat, shooting Draco a nasty glare before stomping out the door, no doubt heading for Potter or one of his no good friends.  
  
Draco stood fuming. Now he would have to make his own lunch. He wished he hadn't pissed Georgia off just before lunch. Draco was so busy trying to figure out what to do, he hadn't noticed his father, who had arrived just before the end of the argument, appear from his bedroom.  
  
"You two sound like an old married couple." Lucius laughed, making Draco jump in fright.  
  
Lucius' laugh wasn't in good humour though; it was cold and callous, almost spiteful.  
  
"She is a handful." Draco agreed gingerly, "What brings you here father?"  
  
Lucius sat himself down on the living room couch and waited for Draco to join him.  
  
"The Dark Lord is interested to know of any developments that may have occurred since we last spoke." Draco's father said in a business like fashion, there wasn't a trace of fatherly love at all.  
  
"Unless you want to hear, in extensive detail, the countless arguments I've had with that muggle, you're out of luck." Draco said, "I thought we would have had a task to do by now, but nothing. Everything has become so boring and this experiment is feeling all a bit pointless at the moment." He confessed.  
  
Draco's father sighed as though he was tired of talking to his son. Draco felt like a five year old at that moment, complaining to his father that his elbow hurt or something.  
  
"There is always a point to Ministry experiments. I tried to get information out of that Harman Tape but he proved to be a useless waste of energy. The Experimental Committee at the Ministry is being very tight lipped about the whole situation." Lucius informed him.  
  
Draco knew the means his father used to force information out of a person. He had seen it first hand and the thought of the wizard twitching on the ground made Draco shudder.  
  
"I still don't see why I have to be here. We've discovered that most wizards get on well enough with muggles, what more does the Ministry need to know?" Draco asked, he was desperate to leave the headache commonly known as Georgia Thompson.  
  
"We will all have to wait and see. It is unlike the Ministry yo keep people on tenterhooks like this. Contact me with news of any developments you hear of." And without so much as a goodbye, Draco's father apparated into thin air with a small pop. 


	4. CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR  
  
As it happened, Georgia hadn't gone to Harry Potter's cabin at all; instead she had taken Draco's dirty clothes to the laundry-mat for a little revenge. Georgia had decided that if Draco was going to be lazy and expect her to wash his clothes, she would, but he couldn't complain about the way it was done. Pushing open the heavy laundry-mat door, Georgia greeted Mr Basheer, the owner.  
  
"Afternoon Mr Basheer!"  
  
The old man looked up from the black and white newspaper and smiled before returning to the article he was reading. Georgia causally walked past his position behind the front desk, selecting two washing detergents from the shelf. They were practically full. Taking the washing basket and the washing powders down to the last machine in the shop, Georgia tipped in the clothes.  
  
Now was her chance for revenge. Carefully, Georgia took the first detergent, a particularly itchy one that none of the members of the Kedron community was fond of, and let her hand slip, causing the entire contents to fall into the machine. She repeated the exercise with the second detergent and allowed the machine cycle to begin.  
  
It only took forty-five minutes. Mr Basheer, who happened to be an elderly wizard, magically dried and folded away Draco's clothes into the washing basket. He gave Georgia a suspicious look as the clothes made sounds similar to breaking straw as they folded but Georgia pretended not to notice and thanked the man before skipping out the door. On the way back to her cabin, Georgia could feel herself cheering up already.  
  
When Georgia returned, Draco was busy munching away at a sandwich that he had no doubt conjured up. He didn't even look up as she entered through the front door.  
  
"Potter was here, I told him you weren't." was all he said, and Georgia noticed that he looked a little tense.  
  
"I've got your washing here." She said and, at this, Draco leapt up.  
  
"It's about time! I've been wanting this shirt for ages." And without so much as a thankyou, Draco snatched up the shirt and a pair of jeans and headed for his room to change.  
  
For once, Georgia didn't complain but smiled mischievously at his retreating back. It didn't take long for Georgia to discover if her plan had worked. Draco came stomping out of his room a minute later, the shirt and jeans on, walking stiffly. His face was contorted with anger.  
  
"What the hell have you done to my clothes?" he screeched, pulling at the material and scratching at his arms and legs.  
  
Georgia shrugged.  
  
"I accidentally spilt too much pf that itchy washing powder that everyone hates into the machine. I thought I could even it out with some starch? Didn't it work?" she asked innocently.  
  
"No it did not bloody-well work! My clothes have gone all stiff and itchy." Draco yelled angrily.  
  
"Opps!" Georgia shrugged again, "I guess you should do your own laundry from now on."  
  
Draco stopped scratching at his torso and straightened up. Georgia sucked in her breath as the look of hate grew on Draco's facial features. Georgia hadn't expected him to react like this. It had only meant to be a joke... honest.  
  
"You did this on purpose!" Draco growled, taking a step towards Georgia, "I'll get you back, just you wait! You'll wish you hadn't ever come here."  
  
Draco was beginning to frighten Georgia, acting as though he would kill her over a tiny little prank that didn't seem so amusing anymore. As Draco let out another growl, Georgia turned on her heel and fled.  
  
X  
  
Georgia had waited until the last possible moment before returning home. Now it was dark and the entire Kedron community had said goodnight and were sleeping peacefully in their beds. Georgia only hoped that Draco had taken himself off to bed as well, to cool off.  
  
Georgia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before going inside. She didn't want to give Draco another reason to be angry again. Slowly, she grabbed the cabin door handle and turned. It didn't budge. The door was locked. Georgia tried again. No, it was definitely locked.  
  
Oh no, Georgia thought, I'm locked out and everyone else has gone off to bed. What am I going to do?  
  
Then it hit her. Georgia was outside without a key to get in while Draco was inside probably laughing hysterically at her predicament.  
  
"DRACO MALFO! OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR RIGHT THIS INSTANT!" Georgia yelled, banging her fists on the door.  
  
A laughing head popped up in the window next to the door. When Georgia got into that cabin, she was SO going to give Draco a piece of her mind.  
  
"Sorry, I can't. Twenty-four hour sealment charm. No one will be able to get into this cabin until morning." Draco laughed through the window.  
  
Georgia smacked the glass where Draco was standing causing Draco to laugh harder as he drew the curtains. Georgia would be stuck outside until morning. All night in the cold, having to lie on the hard floor while she frightened herself into not sleeping with her vivid imagination of forest animals and wild beasts.  
  
Great. This was just bloody great!  
  
X  
  
The next morning, Georgia who had finally fallen asleep sometime in the wee hours of the morning, woke to someone poking her with a stick. It was Draco. Georgia groaned as she remembered where she was. After giving up trying to get into the cabin the night before, Georgia had curled herself into a ball on the welcome mat at the front door. Her neck was now stiff and she was freezing.  
  
"I hate you so much right now." Georgia moaned as she got to her feet and pushed past Draco into the cabin.  
  
"The feeling is mutual." Draco replied.  
  
Georgia went into her room and pulled her blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting on the lounge. Her teeth were still chattering and she could feel a flu coming on. Draco was watching television and snickered as Georgia stretched out on the lounge, resting her head on a pillow.  
  
"I told you I would get you back." He said without the slightest trace of amusement.  
  
"Don't talk to me, I'm trying not to kill you." Georgia grunted, sticking her head under the pillow so she wouldn't have to look at him.  
  
X  
  
The entire Kedron community somehow managed to find out about Draco's prank that same day. Georgia was bombarded with suggestions on how she could best get him back and offers to kill him for her.  
  
"Just give me five minutes with him, that's all I need." Ron Weasley offered, cracking his knuckles menacingly.  
  
Georgia didn't need their advice or want to take up their offers of a crude and violent end to Draco Malfoy. Her retaliation to his stunt had already been orchestrated.  
  
When Draco had left that morning to re-wash his clothes, Georgia had snuck into his room and, after much scrounging around, found his wand and took it. Georgia could already picture Draco's reaction when he discovered his most valuable and useful possession he owned was missing.  
  
Georgia didn't plan on giving back the wand either, at least not until the end of the year. For the remainder of the time, Draco's wand would be hidden in a secret gap Georgia had found under the row of cabins. The wand was safe there and nobody would ever think to look even near it. Georgia confided her secret to one person only, Hermonie Granger. Georgia knew Hermonie's hate for Draco ran deeper than her own so the secret was safe with her.  
  
Draco discovered his wand was missing at lunch. When he went to his room, the wand wasn't there. Draco searched his entire room and half the cabin but came up empty handed. He knew Georgia had a hand in this and Draco cornered her while she was eating outside on a park bench.  
  
Georgia had seen Draco coming, bearing down on her like a steam train. She braced herself for the fireworks that would no doubt complete the package.  
  
"What have you done with my wand?" Draco demanded when he reached her.  
  
"Your wand?" Georgia repeated innocently.  
  
"Yes, my wand!" Draco said.  
  
"Is it long and shiny? Looks a bit like a thick twig and is polished to the point that you can see you own reflection in it?" Georgia asked playfully.  
  
"That would be the one." Draco replied sarcastically.  
  
"Haven't seen it then, sorry."  
  
Draco bashed his hand down on the table angrily and Georgia put down the fork she was just about to load up with salad. Georgia stared up Draco defiantly, daring him to get angry with her again, and Draco stared back, trying to control his rage. A personal battle of determination ensued, each of them willing the other to look away first. Finally Draco spoke.  
  
"Just-give-me-back-my-wand." He said, jaw clenched, hands balled up into tight fists.  
  
"No can do because I don't have it." Georgia informed him.  
  
Draco gave an almighty huff and stormed away, leaving Georgia in a fit of giggles. 


	5. CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE  
  
The first surprise attack occurred a week later and Draco still could not find his wand. Even with the help of Blaise, he had come home empty handed. Draco pestered Georgia for days but she upheld her story of oblivion. If Draco had his wand, he would of cursed her to hell and back.  
  
Draco was pre-warned of the surprise attack by his father who owled him with the news of a troll being let lose in the Kedron community campsite. When the attack actually occurred, Draco discovered his father was half right.  
  
Sally-Anne Perks was the one who alerted Kedron community.  
  
"Giant! There's a giant lose in the forest!" she screamed, running into the park area.  
  
All sixteen students coincidentally happened to be eating lunch in the grassy area and were distributed throughout, sitting in small groups. At Sally-Anne's announcement, a state of panic erupted immediately, people standing up and looking around for a place to hide, others screaming and running around like chickens with their heads cut off. A piercing whistle silenced the cowering group. It was Lisa Turpin of Ravenclaw.  
  
"Remember what McGonagall said? We have to work together!" she reminded them.  
  
"Right," Georgia yelled, taking charge, "everyone come to our cabin."  
  
The group ran to the third cabin at top speed, scrambling inside and locking the door. The community shop owners were hurriedly closing up shop, in a bid to keep well out of the giant's way. Once the Kedron students were assembled inside, questions were fired at Sally-Anne.  
  
"How big was this giant?" Matilda Gunning, one of the muggles, asked.  
  
"Over twenty feet. He was huge." Sally-Anne replied.  
  
"It was a he?" Hermonie asked and Sally-Anne nodded, "Oh thank god."  
  
Georgia and the others turned to stare at Hermonie as though she was on drugs. How could you be thankful for a male giant? Georgia asked just that and Hermonie had her chance to shine as the clever bookworm.  
  
"Male giants aren't nearly as aggressive as females. Hagrid told us so."  
  
Georgia had no idea who Hagrid was but now was not the time for trivial questions.  
  
"So we get lucky with a male, who cares? They are still dangerous." Blaise snarled at Hermonie who turned a pinkie red in embarrassment.  
  
"Where exactly were you when you saw this giant?" Ron asked.  
  
"In the forest going for a walk. I could hear it before I could see him. I just ran as fast as I could before he could get me." Sally-Anne told them.  
  
"How long do you reckon we've got before he finds us?" Draco asked no one in particular, he was feeling very vulnerable without his wand.  
  
"Too late, he's here already!" Ryan Reed quivered, pointing out the cabin window.  
  
Hermonie, his partner, pulled him away from the window and closed the curtain.  
  
"What do we do?" Susan Bones asked, "Hide?"  
  
"He'll be able to smell us eventually, he'll hear us too if we're not quiet." Draco told her.  
  
"Maybe we could go out there and try stun him or something." Blaise suggested, pulling his wand out of his back pocket.  
  
"No, there are only eight of us with wands," Harry said.  
  
"Seven." Draco corrected him, staring pointedly at Georgia.  
  
"Seven than. Remember last year when four officials from the Ministry of magic tried to stun Hagrid that night during OWL exams? Four stunning spells couldn't stop him and Hagrid is a half giant!" Harry reminded them.  
  
A crashing noise of breaking wood sounded outside and the students all ducked, protecting themselves from whatever the giant was doing outside.  
  
"What do we do then?" David Mitchell whispered from his position under the table.  
  
"Hermonie?" Ron inquired, if she couldn't think of a spell, nobody could.  
  
"I don't know any spell that would be powerful enough." Hermonie confessed.  
  
"So magic is out." David said dejectedly.  
  
The muggles in the group were getting restless. What good was it being a wizard or witch if magic couldn't help you in situation like this? It would have to be a muggle idea that got them out of this mess. Georgia had a plan.  
  
"If we manage to pull the giant down or confuse him, is there a particular spot you could hit that would make the stunning spell more effective?" she asked.  
  
"The back of the head," Hermonie informed her, "but we would have to knock the giant over or something and we would need at least six spells hitting at the same time."  
  
"So you're saying it would be tricky but not totally impossible." Georgia reasoned.  
  
Hermonie nodded.  
  
"What's your plan?" Baylie Robinson asked.  
  
Georgia gave a knowing smile.  
  
"I'm going to need a rope. A really long, thick rope." She said.  
  
X  
  
Georgia, Draco and Baylie crept outside, the large coil of rope Hermonie had conjured rested in Georgia's arms. The giant, at that present time, was amusing itself by pulling out trees like they were dainty flowers, near the far end of the camping site. Baylie raced forward and ducked under the closest park bench, it was at least one hundred metres from the cabins, Georgia and Draco in tow. They crouched soundlessly under the protection of the table, watching the roof of cabin three.  
  
Part of Georgia's plan involved the seven witches and wizards with wands climbing through the manhole in the bathroom and removing tiles from the roof, creating a space to climb through. From their perch on the roof, Harry, Hermonie, Ron, Blaise, Susan, Sally-Anne and Lisa would have a better shot at hitting the giant's soft spot.  
  
Georgia saw the red sparks that signalled the wizards and witches were ready and turned to draco and Baylie, handing one end of the coiled rope to the muggle girl.  
  
"Okay, in a second, I'll run across the park to that bench that runs parallel with this one. Draco, you lead the giant between our tables anyway you can." Georgia instructed.  
  
"It would be much easier if I had a wand." He muttered but Georgia ignored him.  
  
"Wait until Draco runs past, and then Baylie, and I will jump onto the table and pull the rope tight. If this works we will be able to trip the giant and maybe bind his legs. Alright, are you guys ready?" Georgia asked.  
  
Draco and Baylie nodded.  
  
"Okay, Draco, you get the giants attention when I'm under the other bench. See you guys in a minute I guess." Georgia said before wishing them luck and quickly ducking out from under their hiding spot.  
  
The giant was still engrossed in pulling out trees so Georgia took her chance and sprinted to the opposite park bench. Her heart was beating wildly, reminding her of the feeling she used to get when her foster parents got too close. She made it safely though, leaving Draco to do his bit for the Kedron community.  
  
Georgia watched as Draco crawled out from under the table, leaving Baylie, and moved into the park. Georgia didn't know how to get a giants attention, never having come into contact with one before, so she left it up to Draco to use his imagination.  
  
"Oi!" Draco yelled out, "Oi! Giant! Hey you big, ugly oaf, over here!"  
  
The giant turned slowly, scratching his head and Draco picked up a rock and hurled it at the giant, hitting it between the eyes. That had gotten his attention. The giant let out a deafening roar and lunged forward at Draco.  
  
"Shit!" Georgia heard Draco cry as he took off sprinting towards the middle ground between the tables.  
  
Three, two, one. Draco went zooming past and Georgia and Baylie sprang into action. The girls jumped onto their park benches and pulled the rope tight. The rope reached up to the giants mid-leg and tripped him beautifully. The giant came crashing down with a loud bang, hitting its head on the earth below.  
  
Georgia and Baylie had to fight to keep the giant down as he swiped at Draco's heels. Draco managed to reach the safety of the cabin just in time. The wizards and witches on the roof began shooting stunning spells as Georgia and Baylie ran circles around the giant, pinning its legs together.  
  
Twenty stunners later and Georgia and Baylie running out of rope, the giant was defeated, lying unconscious on its stomach. As soon as the giant was out cold, a troupe of experienced Ministry officials appeared at its side and without a word, disappeared along with the giant.  
  
Once it was safe, the muggles inside the cabin and the witches and wizards on the roof came streaming out into the park to see if Georgia and Baylie were all right.  
  
"Draco and Georgia did most of the work," Baylie insisted, "I just hid under the table and stood up when I was told to."  
  
Georgia's heart was still racing at the thought of a giant being le lose but she controlled herself enough to check that Draco was okay. He was sitting apart from the main body of the group on the cabin steps with his head in his hands.  
  
"Are you alright?" Georgia asked, sitting next to him.  
  
He looked across at her and nodded.  
  
"I would never have baited myself in front of a giant, you were really brave." Georgia commented, noticing that for once, they weren't bickering or at each other's throats.  
  
"I could have done better." Draco finally said.  
  
"What do you mean? I thought you did perfectly."  
  
"If I had my wand I wouldn't have had to run. I should have been on the roof stunning while one of those cowardly muggles was bait."  
  
Georgia's mouth dropped open in shock. The one time she was being civil to Draco and he blows it by saying something pig-headed.  
  
"You are the biggest prick I know." Georgia fumed.  
  
"Give me back my wand." Draco persisted.  
  
Georgia couldn't even be bothered replying. She got up and left, leaving Draco to sulk. Draco could get his wand back when he stopped acting so bloody superior towards the muggles.  
  
A/N: So, I don't know if anyone is reading this because I haven't gotten any more reviews except from the lovely one off drakkie-lover (thanks heaps by the way, I wasn't going to keep writing until I got your review) So if you ARE reading, please review, I don't want to keep writing if no one is reading. Thanks heaps. 


	6. CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX  
  
It was two months before the next bout of excitement hit the small Kedron community. It wasn't in the form of a surprise attack though, more a surprise social event. Owls flew in early on a Thursday morning, waking each resident with a letter. They were notes from Dumbledore informing the Kedron community that they would be playing host to eight Hogwarts students the following week. The Hogwarts students would be arriving on the Saturday and the Kedron community would be putting on a dinner before the students return to school on Sunday. The only catch was that the meal had to be completely muggle made, meaning no magic.  
  
Draco stormed out o his room already in a bad mood over having to deal with people from Hogwarts, but when he was greeted with the sight of Georgia reading her own letter, it only reminded him more of the fact that it didn't matter if magic was allowed or not, he didn't have a wand to use.  
  
"It's always refreshing to see such a happy, welcoming face in the morning." Georgia said sarcastically as Draco slammed down his breakfast bowl.  
  
Draco ignored her and took his place at the kitchen counter.  
  
"What's put you in such a mood this morning? I thought you would be glad to see your friends from h Hogwarts." Georgia told him.  
  
"Well you though wrong," draco spat, shovelling cereal into his mouth, "I can think of nothing worse than having to act nicely towards you and the other muggle filth whilst in the company of people from Hogwarts who will be doing their best to make me trip up."  
  
Georgia thought he was being a bit dramatic but decided not to press the topic. It occurred to her that Draco probably didn't have man friends at Hogwarts judging by the way his peers, with the exception of Blaise, treated him here.  
  
Georgia's thoughts were interrupted by Lauren Fiteland, Harry's muggle partner, who knocked on the door. She had her letter in hand.  
  
"You guys get the letter too?" she asked, brandishing her own in front of them.  
  
Georgia held up her own letter as an indication that they had, and Draco edged away from the muggle girl who had come inside and was standing beside him.  
  
"Harry and I thought we should all have a meeting to discuss what we have to do. We'll need to let Mrs Salicylate know what we need too." Lauren told them  
  
"Cool, so when and where? I'll drag draco along somehow." Georgia said, playfully poking Draco in the ribs, making him scowl and Lauren laugh.  
  
"Not in a good mood this morning, are we?" she joked and Draco grumbled something incoherent and left, "Guess not. We'll meet at about one o'clock in the park, okay Georgia?" she replied.  
  
"Yeah, that's fine. See you then." Georgia said, bidding goodbye to Lauren.  
  
Finally there would be something for them all to occupy themselves with.  
  
X  
  
The meeting came into order at one o'clock in the middle of the park area. It was another lovely day and the sixteen Kedron residents sat in a circle discussing the dinner party they were to host.  
  
"I reckon we should have one of those all you can eat smorgasbord things." Ron suggested, patting his belly.  
  
"You would." Hermione giggled.  
  
"Shouldn't we see who can cook what first? There's no use deciding on food no one can cook." Susan suggested.  
  
"Well, who can cook without magic?" Harry asked.  
  
Everyone went quiet. It seemed no one was willing to donate their services to the dinner. Blaise was the first to speak up.  
  
"Chelsea can cook." He volunteered his muggle partner Chelsea Frog.  
  
The group turned their attention to Chelsea. She hadn't spoken up before, probably because everyone else was so overbearing, but now they waited for her input. She sat with her legs crossed, hands in lap, her big hazel eyes blinking out from behind her brown, rectangle frame glasses. Chelsea nervously brushed a piece of slightly frizzy brown hair out of her face before putting forward her suggestion.  
  
"I can cook anything," she said, "but don't you think we should find out who our guests are first? It would be terrible to cook something none of them liked or make a roast when one is vegetarian."  
  
It was the logical thing to do and just as the words were spoken, an owl flew overhead. The letter tied to its foot bared the names of their eight guests.  
  
"Jeez, how's that for timing!" Ron breathed while the others pestered him to open the letter quickly.  
  
He ripped it open eagerly and the group listened as eight of their sixth year peers names were read out.  
  
"From Slytherine we got Pansy Parkinson and Alec Nott." Ron read.  
  
A couple of people groaned and Georgia swore she heard Draco mutter some profanity about Pansy.  
  
"From Ravenclaw we got Padma Patil and Terry Boot. Hufflepuff is sending Ernie Macmillan and Eloise Midgen and from Gryfindor we get Neville Longbottom and Parvati Patil."  
  
As the magical members of Kedron digested this information, the muggles were indifferent. Georgia supposed the wizards and witches were at least half glad at the choice of Hogwarts students.  
  
"So... back to what to cook." Lauren prompted, breaking the silence.  
  
"Well I know Neville eats anything, he's exactly like Ron." Hermione informed them.  
  
"Same as Padma, Parvati and Terry..." it seemed they were free to cook anything.  
  
"Seafood could work." Susan suggested but Draco stuck up his nose.  
  
"Are you going to volunteer your services to pealing prawns and cutting up smelly fish?" he asked and Susan immediately shook her head.  
  
"It doesn't have to be formal, does it?" Georgia asked, "Because we could just do a barbeque or something simple like that."  
  
"Yeah, a barbeque would be nice and simple. Chelsea could make up a salad to go with it too." Hermione agreed.  
  
So it was settled. Saturday night would play host to a muggle style barbeque.  
  
A/N: Thanks for reviewing people, you made my day! I know I've been updating pretty fast but I'm going back to school in a couple of days and I wont have as much time... I'll keep writing though so don't worry! Anyway, a couple of shout outs are in order:  
  
Drakey-lover: thanks so much... my very first reviewer!  
  
Melian Maia: thanks!  
  
Lauren: thanks and thanks for lending me your name for the story!  
  
Gryffxchick: opps! I didn't even realize I was doing that so thanks for correcting me and thanks for reading!  
  
Chelsea Frog: I used your name and your description and I hope you like? Thanks!  
  
Harrysmom: Thanks for reading! I included Harry and Hermione because they created diversity in the group and they both had different experiences growing up with muggles (look back at McGonagall's speech)  
  
And thanks to people who are reading but not reviewing... PLEASE REVIEW! 


	7. CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER SEVEN  
  
The morning of the arrival of the eight Hogwarts students was a mad rush. Georgia and Draco, who had drawn the short straw and were now hosting Pansy in their cabin, were at each other's throats as usual.  
  
"I haven't touched that horrible shirt you want to wear!" Georgia insisted as she riffled through her own washing basket searching for the shirt that was to blame for the latest mêlée.  
  
"Yeah right! Are you forgetting the starch and itchy detergent incident?" Draco asked sarcastically.  
  
"Oh give it a rest Draco! Bloody hell, you probably left it in one of the washing machines at Mr Basheer's. Did you even think to check there?" Georgia asked angrily, annoyed that she was being blamed for something that, for once, she hadn't done.  
  
"Of course I did, I'm not that incompetent!" Draco cried.  
  
He really wanted to find that shirt. It was the ugliest one he owned and he was going to use it to repulse Pansy. How he detested that girl, she was almost as bad as the muggles in Kedron. A knock on the door broke Draco's thoughts, and delayed the search.  
  
It was Mr Basheer and he was holding up a mustard coloured shirt with green and brown dots on it and big, orange, square buttons. Georgia arched her eyebrows and smirked victoriously, turning to face Draco with a know-it-all look.  
  
"I found this- uh- shirt in a washing machine. Does it belong to either of you?" Mr Basheer asked, holding the shirt up between his thumb and forefinger like it was a dead skunk.  
  
Draco stepped forward and snatched the offensive shirt from the aging wizard and quickly hid it behind his back. He thanked the wizard from the laundry-mat and slammed the door, before turning to face Georgia. Georgia was blocking the path to his bedroom with her arms crossed, expecting an apology for being accused of stealing the ugly shirt.  
  
"Told you so." She said in a singsong voice when Draco remained silent.  
  
"Move." Draco demanded through clenched teeth.  
  
Georgia moved to the side, letting Draco past.  
  
She laughed in good humour and went to open the door once more because someone had just knocked. It was Pansy. The Hogwarts students had arrived.  
  
"Hello," Georgia said with a friendly smile, opening the screen door and making room for Pansy to come in, "I'm Georgia."  
  
"The muggle?" Pansy sniffed with an air of superiority.  
  
"The muggle." Georgia confirmed warily, she didn't like the way this greeting was turning out.  
  
"Right, my bag is over there by the park bench. Take it and put it in the room I will be using during my stay here. Be careful with it, I don't want my clothes to crush. Oh, and go and inform Draco of my arrival." Pansy ordered.  
  
Georgia stood staring at Pansy as though she was insane. The audacity of that girl! She couldn't believe Pansy was exactly like Draco in her view on muggles. Georgia composed herself long enough to hold her ground.  
  
"How about you go and get your bag. Take it and put it nest to the lounge. I'll get you some sheets so you can make up the pull-out bed you'll be sleeping on," she said, "Oh, and, DRACO! PANSY IS HERE!" Georgia yelled in her face.  
  
Pansy stood in the doorframe, opening and closing her mouth in shock. Draco came out of his bedroom wearing his hideous shirt and a huge, fake smile plastered across his face. The smile disappeared when he saw Pansy's look of shock and Georgia's look of rage.  
  
"H-hi Pansy." Draco stuttered, unsure of what to do.  
  
Pansy narrowed her eyes and stepped past Georgia, ready to whinge to Draco.  
  
"You need to teach your muggle some manners, Draco." Pansy glowered, jabbing her thumb in the general direction of Georgia.  
  
Draco glanced at Georgia who was shooting daggers at him, daring draco to take Pansy's side and make her do the pug-faced girls bidding.  
  
"Um... yeah." Draco muttered to Pansy.  
  
Georgia gave a furious growl and stomped outside, across the park to Susan Bones' cabin. This was going to be a long weekend.  
  
X  
  
That night, Georgia and Draco met up with the other Kedron community members to put the finishing touches on dinner. It was a clear night and the weather was warm. Chelsea placed two large plates of salad at each end of the large picnic table that had been conjured for this evening's event. She seemed to have an artistic flare for arranging the food so it looked like a masterpiece.  
  
Finally, everything was ready and the eight Hogwarts students came out licking their lips appreciatively at the food the group had prepared.  
  
"Don't just stand there looking at it, dig in." Georgia laughed as she sat herself down and began piling food onto her plate.  
  
The others didn't need telling twice, and they hungrily joined her at the table. Nothing much was said until the meal was just about over. It was at this time that the Hogwarts students, having quelled their hunger, became interested in what their peers had been doing whilst away from school. Ron launched enthusiastically into the story of the giant attack.  
  
"And then Malfoy went flying past and Georgia and Baylie took the rope and tripped the giant. It was bloody brilliant. Then those of us on the roof stunned the thing until it was out cold." Ron finished, glad to being the centre of attention.  
  
"That must have been wicked!" Neville said, almost enviously.  
  
"How come you were used as bait, draco?" Pansy asked, directing everyone's attention towards Draco and that horrible shirt, Parvati even wrinkled her nose in distaste, "Why were you on the roof with the others and another muggle used as bait?"  
  
Before Draco could answer, Georgia spoke up.  
  
"Draco had misplaced his wand and I think he was very brave to let that giant chace after him, I know I wouldn't have done it."  
  
Pansy stuck her nose up at Georgia and looked at her like she was a piece of gum on the bottom of her shoe.  
  
"How could draco misplace his wand?" Pans asked, implying that she knew Georgia was somehow behind the stunt.  
  
"Why don't you ask draco yourself, you're sitting on top of him?" Georgia retorted.  
  
It was true; Pansy was practically on top of Draco, sitting so close that Draco was almost pressed up against Blaise in a bid to get away. The other students had stopped eating and were looking between Pansy and Georgia, unsure of what was to happen next. Draco was the one to decide for them.  
  
"Wow! I could really go for some of that dessert you made Chelsea. Do you want me to get it?"  
  
It was the first time anyone had seen Draco prevent a fight. Things really were getting strange in the Kedron community and it was sure to heat up even further before it was over.  
  
A/N: Please review! 


	8. CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT  
  
After the dramatic exit of Draco at the dinner, things did cool down considerably. It wasn't until Georgia dragged herself back to the cabin after everyone had said goodnight that things heated up again.  
  
Draco had gone straight back to cabin three after he deposited the lovely Pavlova dessert Chelsea had made onto the table. Pansy had followed soon after but Georgia had decided to hang around a little longer, not wanting to get in Pansy's way again.  
  
As Georgia entered the cabin, she was glad to see everything was dark and quiet. She navigated her way blindly to her room, taking her pyjamas from the floor where she had thrown them and tiptoed to the bathroom to prepare for bed. She could hear Draco turning over in his sleep and was glad she had been saved a confrontation with the Slytherine pair.  
  
Georgia went back to her room in the darkness and puled back the unmade sheets on her bed. That was when she noticed her bed wasn't empty. Pansy was sleeping soundly, her mouth open and drooling slightly on the pillow. Her chubby hands were clasped together and she was curled into a little ball.  
  
"Pansy!" Georgia whispered, prodding the sleeping girl in the back.  
  
Pansy snored on.  
  
"Pansy!" she whispered, this time a little bit louder.  
  
Pansy rolled over, clearly awake but pretending to be asleep.  
  
"Pansy, get out of my bed right now!" Georgia said, ripping the sheets away from the girl but she faked on.  
  
Georgia had had enough. She was tired and wanted her bed but she wasn't in the mood for a fight. Georgia decided to enlist the help of Draco.  
  
Georgia marched into the wizard's bedroom and flicked the switch, flooding the room with light. Draco rolled over and put a hand to his face, shielding his eyes from the instant glare.  
  
"Is it morning already?" he asked groggily.  
  
"No it is not bloody morning. It is just after midnight." Georgia said, moving into his room.  
  
"Georgia?" Draco asked, "What are you doing in here?"  
  
His eyes had adjusted to the light and he sat up in bed staring at Georgia who stood fuming beside his bed in a vision of pink pyjamas.  
  
"I'm here because that bitch is in my bed and I want her out!" Georgia seethed.  
  
"What?" Draco asked, obviously not very quick on the uptake wile he was half asleep, "Tell pansy to get out then."  
  
"I tried! She's pretending to be asleep!" Georgia cried, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.  
  
"What do you want me to do about it?" Draco asked, sinking lower into his bed, wanting to go back to sleep.  
  
"Go in there and haul her ass out! Tell her to sleep on the pullout like she was meant to! She won't listen to me." Georgia insisted.  
  
"Can't you just sleep on the pull-out?" Draco pleaded.  
  
Georgia, who was beyond acting mature in the wee hours of the morning, stamped her foot in a tantrum and pointed to the door. Draco groaned and rolled out of bed, padding barefoot across the hall to Pansy. Georgia followed him out and waited on the already made up pullout bed.  
  
Five minutes past and Draco came trudging out of Georgia's room with a scowl deeply implanted on his face. Georgia stood up, expecting to see Pansy follow but no one came. Draco went back into his room and resurfaced a moment later with his doona wrapped around his shoulders. He silently pulled off the pullout's blanket and handed it to Georgia before falling onto the uncomfortable bed.  
  
"What are you doing?" Georgia asked, perplexed at the situation.  
  
"Pansy isn't moving and I'm tired so take my bed, I'll sleep here tonight." Draco mumbled, pulling the doona up to his ears.  
  
Georgia stood for a moment, wondering if she heard right. It wasn't until Draco told her to go away that she shrugged her shoulders and went into Draco's room. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was out like a light.  
  
X  
  
Georgia plodded out into the kitchen late the next morning, still in her pyjamas. Draco, who was also in his pyjamas, and Pansy were already up, eating breakfast. Georgia clamoured to the fridge and pulled out the carton of juice, drinking straight from it, not bothering with a glass. Pansy crumpled her nose in disgust.  
  
"I hope you plan on washing Draco's sheets. He doesn't want to be sleeping on something a muggle has touched." Pansy drawled.  
  
"Are you going to wash my sheets after you dribbled all over it?" Georgia snapped, turning to face Pansy in a threatening manner.  
  
"I do not dribble!" Pansy insisted, holding her head high.  
  
Georgia raised her eyebrows and went to her room, collecting the offending pillow with the drool on it. She held it up for both Pansy and Draco to see and Pansy snatched it from her and stormed back into Georgia's bedroom, slamming the door. Draco laughed dryly.  
  
"I don't know who to back, you or her." He said, spooning a mouthful of cereal into his mouth.  
  
"What do you mean?" Georgia asked, pushing a piece of bread into the toaster.  
  
"Pansy has been here for just over twenty four hours and you have already had about four fights. I'm just saying I don't know who I want to win." Draco replied.  
  
Georgia laughed, catching her toast as it popped up and beginning to butter it.  
  
"You should want me to win! Pansy goes today, you're stuck with me for the rest of the year!" Georgia reasoned logically, smiling slightly.  
  
"Good point." Draco agreed as Pansy returned to the kitchen, her face still burning red.  
  
She glared at Georgia who stacked up her vegemite toast took it to her bedroom. When Georgia closed the door, she let out a giggle and marvelled over the fact that her and Draco had actually agreed upon something.  
  
A/N: Ooo! Is that a hint of flirting I detect there? Well that's how I imagined an 'in-character' draco would flirt with a muggle anyway.  
  
Tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions on where you want this story to go, let me know. I've already worked out the framework for this story and have an ending in mind but all suggestions are welcomed! Thanks for reading! 


	9. CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER NINE  
  
The Hogwarts students had been gone all of five minutes when something strange happened. A whooshing noise was heard in the direction of the bushy forest and a second later Jarvis Ancol, Lisa Turpin's muggle partner, fell to the ground with a sickening thud. Lisa dropped to his side, her brow furrowed. Jarvis, who was as fit and healthy as the next person, was out like a light. Something was wrong. Very wrong.  
  
Harry drew his wand and marched towards the forest in the direction of the whooshing noise while Hermione, who had also taken out her wand, levitated Jarvis to a height hat made him easier to direct to a cabin. The other Kedron members followed her while Harry poked around the bush.  
  
"What's the matter with him?" Georgia asked, leaning over the unconscious boy with concern.  
  
"He looks like he has been stunned." Blaise said, prodding Jarvis in the side with his wand.  
  
Just as Susan was about to tell Blaise to stop poking the unconscious and defenceless boy a yell erupted from outside. It was Harry and he was backing out of the trees, shooting spells at something or someone. A moment later a group of hooded figures carrying wands followed Harry out into the park area. They were also shooting spells at the grossly outnumbered Harry.  
  
"Oh my God!" Sally-Anne squealed when she saw the twelve hooded figures, "Are they Death Eaters?"  
  
She sounded scared, almost terrified. Draco glanced out the window not believing his eyes. The twelve figures certainly looked an awful lot like the black hooded Death Eaters of whom his family associated with, but they couldn't be. His father would have surely warned him of such an attack.  
  
Draco didn't get to think a moment longer on the subject because Hermione, Lisa, Ron, Sally-Anne, Blaise and Susan had all drawn their wands and were heading outside to join the battle. The muggles were going into a state of shock and Draco knew they had every reason to. Without a wand, he felt naked and vulnerable and he couldn't take being held back from another dual again. He should be out their fighting with the rest of the magical students.  
  
"What do we do?" Matilda cried hysterically.  
  
"We've got to hide!" Daniel insisted, already glancing around frantically, looking for a good spot.  
  
"No we don't!" Georgia argued, "There are twelve of them and only seven of us with wands. We've got to help Harry and the others."  
  
The muggles and Draco looked at Georgia sceptically. There was no way they could win wandless, but it was better than sitting around waiting to be found and meeting the same end as Jarvis.  
  
"What do you suggest we do exactly?" Baylie asked.  
  
"How good are you at playing chicken?" Georgia responded with a daredevil smile.  
  
X  
  
There was no way Draco was going out there unarmed.  
  
As Georgia helped the muggles out the back window in the hope of creating an element of surprise, Draco felt a new wave of anger over his missing wand wash over him. When the last muggle was out the window, Draco's anger string snapped and he rounded on Georgia.  
  
"Aren't you coming?" Georgia asked, turning to face him.  
  
Draco clenched his hands together and tried a few breaths before he spoke.  
  
"Not with my wand." He replied.  
  
"Now is not the time Draco." Georgia said as a stray spell smashed through the front window.  
  
"Now is the perfect time. A wizard dual is going on out there and I could help with my wand. Tell me where it is!" Draco seethed, his calmness quickly evaporating.  
  
"Us muggles are going out there and we don't know a stitch of magic! What are you so afraid of? A couple of spells?" Georgia said, turning the argument back onto him.  
  
The only thing Draco was afraid of was that the hooded figures really were Death Eaters and they would report to his father about him playing 'chicken' without a wand.  
  
"My wand Georgia! Give I to me right now." Draco yelled, moving in front of the window to block Georgia's exit.  
  
"No!" she spat, getting angry herself.  
  
Draco felt the anger escalated into an uncontrollable rage. How dare this muggle stand before him and bluntly refuse him the one object he needed most. Georgia made him want to do something irrational. Draco felt he could do anything right at that moment, even hurt a defenceless girl, and he almost did.  
  
Before Draco could stop himself, he had raised his palm threateningly, read to strike the petite Georgia. As soon as it was done, Georgia's eyes had widened with fright, her face went pail and she bent, protecting her head and face with her arms.  
  
They stayed like that, frozen in time, until Draco backed down. Georgia slowly stood up straight, tears forming in her eyes and memories forming in her mind. She didn't want to deal with another foster father. It was time to give up the game.  
  
"It's under the cabins in a hidden gap." She whispered.  
  
Draco, who couldn't even look Georgia in the eye, leapt out the window quickly in search of the hidden gap that held his wand. As soon as he left, Georgia crumpled to the floor beside the unconscious Jarvis in a flood of tears.  
  
A/N: Short chapter, I know but I left on a cliffhanger so hopefully who ever is reading this will keep reading. Anyway, I haven't been getting many reviews, which leads me to think that no one is actually reading this. So if you are reading and you want me to keep writing (and I do update pretty quickly) please review, even if it is to bag the shit out of my story. Thanks. 


	10. CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER TEN  
  
The battle lasted until the late afternoon. Fortunately, the group of hooded villains were ministry officials masked as Death Eaters. But even with the ministry taking precautions to ensure no one was seriously hurt, there were still muggle causalities. The muggles diversion was enough to create an opportunity for four wizards to be knocked down, but after the element of surprise was lost, a few muggles had met the same end as Jarvis.  
  
The ministry had eventually been defeated by some mere fate of luck and those who were able, apparated away while more officials descended to retrieve the stunned, leaving the Hogwarts students to revive their muggle counterparts. Hermonie had been put in charge of that, and she soon had Jarvis, Ryan, Lauren and Matilda up and about. Everyone was accounted for except Georgia.  
  
"Last time we saw her she was in cabin one helping us out the window." David said.  
  
"Well she's not there anymore because that's the cabin we left Jarvis in and I went there to revive him." Hermione told them.  
  
The group stood looking about at the area they had just done battle. Maybe she had been stunned and they hadn't seen her. Georgia wasn't to be seen, though, begging the question about where she could of disappeared to.  
  
"Who was the last one to see her? I can't remember seeing her come out of the cabin." Baylie asked.  
  
"I was the last muggle out, all that was left after me was Draco." Chelsea informed them.  
  
They all turned to face Draco who had been doing his best to remain quiet. Now he was being placed under the microscope and questions on Georgia's whereabouts were being fired at him from every direction. Draco couldn't bring himself to tell them what he had almost done to her.  
  
"Did you help Georgia out the window?" Harry asked, rounding on Draco in an almost threatening attitude.  
  
Draco shook his head and stuffed his wand into his back pocket of the jeans he was wearing. The sudden appearance of it would certainly raise questions. Unfortunately, the sight of it was not lost on Ron who looked at Draco quizzically.  
  
"So you finally found your wand, ey?" he asked, crossing his arms.  
  
Draco nodded, "Yeah, I found it." He said, a little too defensively.  
  
"Georgia would have had to tell you were it was. She was the one who took it and hid it. You would never have found it if you didn't know where to look." Hermione told Draco, "I was the only one she told." She added when it looked as though Draco was about to get angry.  
  
"So she told me where it was. Who cares?" Draco said.  
  
"What did you do to her?" Susan demanded angrily, quickly jumping to the conclusion that Draco had indeed done something to make Georgia disappear.  
  
Draco was quiet for a split second, unable to decide what to say to the Kedron group who were now staring accusingly at him. It was probably better for his own welfare if he told a version of the truth.  
  
"We had a fight. Georgia had my wand and I needed it for this task. Honestly, what would have happened if those wizards were Death Eaters and I didn't have my wand?" Draco said, knowing he sounded petty and his excuses didn't explain the sudden disappearance of Georgia. After all, they had had plenty of fights before this.  
  
"So it's you fault she's run off," Lisa reasoned, "You need to go find her before something else happens. Stanley Park is huge and she will get lost before she makes it out."  
  
Draco began to protest but they cut him off with menacing glares. Draco hung his head in defeat and went into cabin three, changing into a pair of comfortable shoes and grabbing two jackets in case he didn't find Georgia until after dark.  
  
Without even a glance back at the angry Kedron residents, Draco marched purposely towards the forest where he disappeared between the clumps of trees.  
  
X  
  
The sun had gone down hours ago and Draco still hadn't found Georgia. He contemplated turning around and heading back to the Kedron community but decided against it. He could just picture the anger of his peers if he turned back without Georgia, leaving the girl out all alone in the blistering cold. If she must suffer, than so should he, that's what they would say.  
  
Draco raised his illuminated wand, casting the beam of light into the blackness. He could have sworn he had gone past the same distorted tree three times. Everything looked so similar to Draco and he knew he was lost. Draco was ready to find a place to rest for the night, hoping that in the light of day he would have a better chance of finding the runaway Georgia, when he heard a noise.  
  
Somebody was moving around in the darkness and Draco hoped it was Georgia so he could get the hell out of the freezing cold forest. Draco moved forward slowly, pushing back a branch of an old tree, wand at the ready in case he needed to attack. The precaution was unnecessary though, because past the old tree sat Georgia on a large rock, he knees brought to her chest and shivering uncontrollably. She was still crying. Draco breathed a sigh of relief and took another step forward. Georgia turned around, facing him, as the beam of light omitting from Draco's wand fell onto her.  
  
Georgia stiffened when she saw Draco standing behind her, looking very unsure of himself or what to do.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Georgia asked thickly, not moving.  
  
Draco shrugged uneasily. Now that he had found Georgia he didn't know what to say or how he was going to convince he to come back with him to the Kedron campsite. All he knew was that an apology was in order for the way he had reacted earlier that day.  
  
"Just go away Draco. Leave me alone." Georgia said, but her voice didn't contain a trace of anger, she sounded more tired than anything else.  
  
Draco couldn't understand why she wasn't getting angry with him. She had lost control over much more trivial things before but now she seemed like she couldn't care less about Draco. She was being a little too quiet and that was unnerving.  
  
"Listen, Georgia, I'm really sorry about before. I didn't mean to loose control like that." Draco told her, and, for once, he really did mean it.  
  
"That doesn't make it alright," Georgia spat, "I don't care for your apologies. They can't take anything back... they can't change my past."  
  
"I don't know what else to say, Georgia. I know I can't take back what I almost did. I know an apology doesn't change anything." Draco said feeling a slightly downcast at having his apology, the only thing he had to offer for his actions, rejected.  
  
Georgia gave a hollow laugh, which made Draco fell a little uncomfortable and wary.  
  
"You don't get it. I don't give a shit about what you 'almost' did. That doesn't matter to me. It's the memories that you brought back. You took away my security. I don't want to go back to my old life. Don't you understand? I'm not like you or anyone at that damn campsite...LOOK!" Georgia yelled and she lifted the back of her tee shirt, exposing a jigsaw puzzle of scars and burns.  
  
Draco took a sharp intake of breath as he looked at Georgia's back. What he had assumed would be smooth, flawless skin was instead a disfigured mess. Draco moved closer with the idea of tracing a finger over the beaten back but Georgia didn't let him. She shoved down her top wit a venomous rage and turned on Draco. She was clearly about to vent all her hatred out on him and he braced himself for it.  
  
"Look what you made me do!" she screamed, sending birds flying from the trees, "I should never have shown you that, I would never have shown you! I tried all year not to start this up again and you ruined it, you made me remember!  
  
"Why did you have to get so mad? Didn't you realize there is a reason I keep my distance from everyone; I never let anyone get too close? When I came here I was looking for a new life. I thought I'd make friends that could help me. People not like him!  
  
"My life was on the line and I didn't want to be the same foolish girl again. The last thing I need right now is someone to bring me down but you had to do it, you had to bring it all back to me!  
  
"All I needed was somebody to lean on, somebody to wash away the pain! Instead I meet a guy who comes from a world where he didn't care for anything.  
  
"You, Draco, are an instigator. You made me so angry with you that I had to get you back. Then I got you even more angry and look what you've done now!" she was rambling and she knew it but she wasn't finished, "I don't want to be the person I used to be, I don't want that life. I don't want to be anything other than what I've been trying to be lately. I don't want to be anything other than me!"  
  
Georgia had broken down sobbing. There was so much more that needed to be said but she had screamed herself hoarse. She wanted to kick and scream and lash out but her energy was gone and with each tear that fell, her body grew weaker.  
  
Draco, who had stood quietly while Georgia had ranted and raved, now moved forward with the spare jacket and placed it onto Georgia's trembling shoulders. He had never seen anyone so confused or abused in all his life. He wanted to help her.  
  
"Tell me who did this to you Georgia. Tell me who caused you so much pain." Draco said, placing an arm around her supportively.  
  
Georgia was keeping her secret closely guarded but as Draco showed a side of himself that no one had ever seen before, especially Georgia, she felt her wall start to fall down. Perhaps letting someone into the horrors of her life would do some good. Maybe it would be liberating. Georgia decided to tell.  
  
"My foster parents, mostly my foster father." She answered quietly, using the sleeve of the jacket Draco had given her to wipe her eyes.  
  
"Your foster parents? What about your birth parents?" Draco asked, not wanting to pry but compelled to find out more.  
  
"Dead. Died just after I was born. I've been shipped from home to home all my life." Georgia informed him.  
  
"Why did your family do this to you?" he inquired.  
  
Georgia ran a hand over her shoulder, no doubt an area that was also scarred and burnt.  
  
"Alcohol. They would always drink and all it took was one mistake and I would become a human punching bag... or ashtray." She replied.  
  
They sat silently for sometime. Draco was imagining scenarios of Georgia being beaten and torched. He didn't understand how a family could inflict so much pain onto a person. Of course, the Death Eaters stood accused of implementing such things, probably much worse in some cases.  
  
As Draco thought about it, he realized that being a Death Eater meant executing the same pain onto people just like Georgia and he discovered that he just wouldn't be able to do it, he wouldn't be able to stand by and watch people suffer, muggle or not.  
  
"Draco," Georgia spoke up, "I don't want people to know about this... to know about me. I don't want people to know I'm weak."  
  
In Draco's eyes, Georgia resembled more a tower of strength than a person who was weak. At the same time, he couldn't believe he was growing attached to the muggle who he had hated with such a passion upon meeting her.  
  
"You aren't weak, and you are not alone. You do have people here who care about you and would want to help you." Draco insisted, recognising that now was the time to boost Georgia's morale, "You were meant for so much more. You're a bloody soldier for god's sake! Trust me, the world has so much more to offer you. Life is what you make it, you just need to take the wheel!"  
  
Georgia let a smile escape her and it shone through her tears. She hadn't thought Draco could be so sensitive, especially towards a muggle like herself. Yes, Draco had gone to hit her, but the difference was he hadn't and he had come all this way looking for her just to say he was sorry. Draco wasn't anything like her foster father. He was different.  
  
"I am not afraid." Georgia whispered to herself as she smiled once more.  
  
X  
  
After conversing in the cold, it was time for Georgia and Draco to find their way back to Kedron. The only problem was, neither of them could remember the way they had come. As they passed the same rock on which they had been sitting five times, Draco decided to shoot red sparks in the air in a bid to get somebodies attention and hopefully provoke a search. Unfortunately, Draco had not anticipated another group of wizards, who happened to be looking for him, seeing the sparks.  
  
Fifteen minutes after the red sparks had been shot into the air, Draco and Georgia heard a rustling of branches and the snap of twigs. Somebody was out there.  
  
"Hey guys!" Draco called into the gloomy darkness, "It's us, Georgia and Draco!"  
  
The pair waited for a reply but when none came, Draco stepped forward to investigate, telling Georgia to wait behind. Draco moved behind the trees, searching for a sign that something had been there but nothing was found. Draco shrugged and turned back to get Georgia.  
  
When he found her, she was not alone. Four wizards with dark hooded robes flanked Georgia who was being restrained. Another stood with his back to Draco. It was Lucius Malfoy.  
  
"You are a disgrace, Draco... helping a muggle." His father tsked.  
  
Before Draco had a chance to reason with the Death Eaters and, more importantly, his father, they disappeared with a pop, taking Georgia with them.  
  
A/N: This chapter is much longer and I have another cliffhanger. So please review and tell me what you think. I hope you all picked on the little bit of romance that has started to flourish. The next chapter should contain more.  
  
Shout-outs need to be given to everyone for reviewing. Special thanks to Sarah for doing something out of the ordinary and I'm glad you find my story original! Eli (Drakey-Lover) for introducing the lovely malovent- dragon to my story 


	11. CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Draco arrived back at Kedron just before daybreak and very much out of breath. He didn't have time to rest though. It had taken him almost an hour to find his way back and Georgia was in danger. Draco needed the help of the Golden Trio and the other witches and wizard if he wanted to get Georgia out of the clutches of his father and the Death Eaters.

Draco swallowed his pride and hurried to Harry's cabin, banging on the door. Lauren answered a moment later.

"Draco?" she yawned, "Where's Georgia?"

"Someone's taken her. Is Harry there?" Draco blurted in a rush.

Lauren looked at Draco dubiously but went to fetch Harry anyway. Draco heard them muttering in the lounge room but couldn't make out what they were saying. Draco wished Harry would hurry up. He would never normally come to him for help but Georgia's life was on the line, it was time to put those petty differences aside... at least for the time being. Finally Harry appeared.

"What do you want Malfoy?" Harry asked.

"It's Georgia. We were walking back here and we heard a noise so I went to investigate. When I came back, she was surrounded by Death Eaters and they disappeared with her." Draco said quickly, knowing he made no sense.

"Death Eaters here? Yeah right Malfoy. If you can't find Georgia you can just say so, we'll go looking for her when it gets lighter. There isn't any need to make up stories." Harry reassured him sleepily.

"I'm not lying! Bloody hell Potter, do you really think I would come to you if I were making it up? My _father_ was one of the Death Eaters! Would I tell you that? We've got to help Georgia before something bad happens to her." Draco yelled.

Harry stood dimly in the doorway before he reacted. He couldn't be certain Draco was being honest but he wouldn't be the one who let Georgia get hurt because he didn't believe. Harry called Lauren over, who had been listening intently to the conversation secretly, and asked her to let the others know before telling Draco he would meet him in the park in five minutes.

Draco raced off to cabin three where he pulled off his jumper and replaced it with a fresh tee shirt. Coming back into the kitchen he noticed a letter propped up on the kitchen counter. It was from his father.

Draco,

The Dark Lord is particularly disappointed with your actions tonight but that is nothing to the anger I am expressing. Helping muggles, no matter what their state or circumstance, is a practice strictly forbidden when serving under our Lord. It is of this reason that measures have been taken to test your loyalty. Should you wish to go against all that you have been taught, everything that I have raised you to be, all that I have sacrificed for you, and save that filthy muggle, you will find her, along with a small group of loyal servants, at the manor. If you have remained faithful, as I and your mother hope you have, you will do well to forget the muggle and carry on as though nothing out of the ordinary has occurred. Keep in mind the Dark Lord knows all. Don't lace the Malfoy name with shame, Draco, your mother and I would be most furious.

-Lucius Malfoy.

Draco read and re-read the letter before crumpling it in the palm of his hand. Was his father really given him the information of Georgia's whereabouts this freely? How small a number was a small group of Death Eaters anyway? What if Georgia wasn't at the manor at all, then what?

These questions filled Draco with dread. On one hand, he didn't want to give the other magic students an excuse to berate him even further for leading Georgia astray. On the other hand, the note from his father was the only clue as to the whereabouts of Georgia. It was their only lead and it needed to be used.

Taking the note, Draco hurried outside to find Harry, Susan, Hermione, Blaise, Ron, Lisa and Sally-Anne already dressed and waiting.

"Malfoy, are you sure about this?" Ron asked doubtfully.

Draco brandished the letter in front of Ron's nose as proof and everyone kept quiet.

"How did your father know where we were? No one is suppose to know except the Ministry." Hermione asked curiously.

"My father has been training me up in the family profession." Draco replied uncomfortably, he didn't want to be blamed for Georgia's kidnapping too.

"So, again, this is your fault." Lisa fumed angrily letting Draco's wish of escaping the blame for this catastrophe fail in front of his eyes.

He didn't bother replying though. While Georgia was missing, nothing else mattered. The most important thing at that moment was how they were all going to get to the manor.

"We could go by port-key." Sally-Anne suggested.

"Do _you_ know how to make a port-key?" Blaise asked sarcastically.

"Goo point." Sally-Anne agreed, her face turning pink with embarrassment.

Then it hit Draco. None of _them_ may be able to conjure a port-key but Mr Basheer, the only magical adult in their vicinity, probably could. The group ran to the back of Mr Basheer's tiny laundry-mat and banged on his door. It took a minute for him to understand their request but finally they each had a finger on a particularly ugly shirt that Draco took with embarrassment.

Mr Basheer counted down from three as each magical students waited. As the elderly wizard hit one, Draco felt a pulling sensation behind his naval. A light headed feeling erupted inside of him but was quickly replaced with a sore behind as he landed with a thud on the front lawn of the manor, his home.

"Whoa, Draco, this is your home?" Susan admired impressively.

"That's my house." Draco sighed, "Come on, before they see us. Father said Death Eaters would be waiting.

With this grim news in mind, the group followed Draco through his neighbour's backyard and under a gap in the fence. The spot they came out of managed to conceal the group of eight and was only a metre from the manor. Anyone of them could have reached out and touched the white-bricked mansion.

"How do you propose we get inside?" Hermione asked.

Draco drew his wand and stretched out hid arm, taping a sequence of bricks on the wall. To most, this would have seemed odd but as soon as the last brick was hit, the wall began to shudder and pull away from itself, not unlike the wall that led to Diagon Alley from the Leaky Cauldron.

Without a word, Draco crawled through the hole in the wall, leading the group into the manor's basement and right into a Death Eater's trap.

A/N: Hey guys, I'm nearing the end... only a chapter to go!


	12. CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER TWELVE

Draco was the first to notice the four hooded Death eaters crowded in the tiny basement. He stood bravely in front of the rest of the would-be rescuers, shielding them from harm but without much luck.

"You are willing to risk everything for a _muggle_?" one of the black figures asked Draco menacingly.

Draco was mentally kicking himself for being so stupid. The hidden entrance to the basement would, of course, be the first place Lucius Malfoy knew his son would try. But it wasn't just that, Draco couldn't believe he had led his peers into the trap as well and, what's more, he actually cared.

"Her name is Georgia, not muggle." Susan said bravely, stepping in line with Draco.

The Death Eaters averted their attention from Draco onto Susan. Draco was also starring at Susan, his mouth agape. Who knew Hufflepuffs could be so fearless?

"Georgia, ey?" another Death Eater laughed cruelly, "Well, lets see how much this _Georgia _means to you- CRUCIO!"

Draco had seen this coming but was powerless to stop it. He and the other Hogwarts students stood in horror as Susan fell to the floor, twitching and screaming with intense pain. The Death Eaters jeered as Susan was brought closer to death. Hermione was the first to break as she watched her friend bow to the torture.

"PROTEGO!" she screamed, stepping in front of Susan and rebounding the Unforgivable Curse.

The Death Eater who had performed the Unforgivable Curse broke off in shock. A mudblood witch, of school age no less, had interrupted the fun. An act such as that had serious consequences, consequences that provoked a dual. Eight on four. The odds were in Hogwarts favour.

To Draco, though, the idea of battling was pointless unless a goal could be achieved and that goal was Georgia who, along with his father, was nowhere to be found. With this thought in mind, Draco sprinted the few steps between his spot in the basement and the door. His idea was simple: search the manor.

After fighting off a persistent Death Eater who was intent on keeping Draco in the basement, he yelled to Blaise, who had taken over his struggle.

"I'm going to find Georgia! Keep those buggers here!" and without waiting for a reply, he took off into the Malfoy manor.

X

It was unusually quite. The house elves, who normally bustled around the kitchen, were not there and Draco's father had not attacked him at first sight as he assumed he would. Draco banished this unhealthy thought though, and replaced it with the task at hand: finding Georgia.

Draco sprinted through the halls of his house checking each room for any sign of Georgia. He was starting to loose hope, believing that his father's letter was nothing but a hoax, when he reached the last room, coincidentally his bedroom. When Draco pushed open the door, he fully expected the room to be empty but, instead, there was Georgia, sitting with her back to him on the edge of the bed. Draco silently thanked God that no harm had been done to her.

"Georgia!" he called, startling the silent girl.

A look of relief passed over her features when she saw it was he.

"It's about time you showed up, I've been sitting here for ages. I was even contemplating having a peek through your things I was so bored." Georgia said.

Draco's smile slid from his face at Georgia's ungrateful words. He was about to give her a piece of his mind, to let her know what it had taken to find her, when a laugh escaped Georgia's lips. A smile lit up her features and she fell into Draco's arms in a warm embrace. It was quite comforting.

The hug, however, lasted mere seconds when a small popping noise sounded behind Georgia and Lucius Malfoy broke up the reunion.

"You are a disgrace to the Malfoy name, boy." He seethed, yanking Georgia out of Draco's grip and pushing her out of the way.

Georgia crashed into the mahogany dresser and fell to the floor where she remained. Draco tried to help her but his father blocked the path with a sneer.

"A muggle." He spat, shaking his head with utter disappointment, "You risk your life for a worthless muggle?"

Draco almost cringed at the knowledge that, last week, he would have understood what his father meant. He would have agreed, would have done anything to please his father. How quickly the mind changes. Draco knew now that risking his life for Georgia, a muggle, was the first step towards redemption.

"Georgia isn't worthless and the Malfoy name was a disgrace long before I came about." Draco argued, stalling for time and unsure of what to do.

"You seem to be forgetting Draco, that pure blood is what shaped this family. It gives us status. Helping muggles isn't in our nature; we don't concern ourselves with them. It is with the Dark Lord that we belong." Lucius replied.

"Maybe it is about time we concerned ourselves with them. Our _blood_ is no different to theirs. When we get cut, we bleed, just like them. We die just like them. We are not eternal or immortal. Get down off our high horse and take a look around the real world. To most, pure blood means nothing, you and your precious Voldemort are in a minority." Draco tried; hoping reason would hit his father in the head.

"That muggle has brainwashed you. You even dare to utter the Dark Lord's name!" Lucius said in disbelief.

"Not brainwashed, just woke me up. And as for _Voldemort_, he is nothing to me." Draco informed his already furious father.

"Very well, let us settle this like grown wizards- CRUCIO!" Lucius yelled.

Draco managed to doge this first spell with skills honed from years of quidditch, he even managed to shot a few of his own before his father's wand hit its target.

The Cruciatus Curse was by far the most intense pain Draco had ever felt before. It was as though the Devil was beating down on his bones, like an earthquake was snaking its way through his body, like a thousand fires were burning within. Draco was sure his body would explode as he tried to fight the curse.

Lucius Malfoy had always played dirty, using whatever means was needed to achieve his goals, but to use an Unforgivable on his son was a new low. Never would a reasonable man attack hi own flesh and blood in such a manner.

_He wasn't a reasonable man though_, Draco thought as the pain began to subside. The spell was being lifted.

Draco was too weak to fight back but he managed to stand, deciding that, if his father must kill him, he would die with dignity. Lucius Malfoy raised his steady wand, laughing shrilly. Draco closed his eyes and waited for the nothing that would come after death. It didn't come. Instead, the sound of a body hitting the decks rang in his ears.

Draco opened his eyes cautiously and saw Georgia standing over his father's body, lampshade in hand, breathing heavily. Lucius was sprawled out on the floor, his eyes closed and blood trickling down the back of his head, staining his white hair crimson. He was breathing but he was out cold.

Draco's eyes travelled back up to Georgia who was looking rather frightened, as though she had done something wrong. He let out a brief laugh and moved forward, taking the lamp from her hands.

"I was supposed to be saving you, remember?" Draco said, trying to sound macho.

"I think I can handle myself." Georgia replied, relieved that had done the right thing.

Draco laughed again and pulled Georgia into his arms.

"Just shut-up and kiss Me." he whispered into her ear before their lips met in a passionate kiss.

For the first time Georgia could remember, she was happy.

_**Kissing is a means of getting two people so close together that they can't see anything wrong with each other. Rene Yasenek**_

THE END

A/N: I couldn't be bothered waiting for people to review so I just stuck the last chapter up, hope you liked. Peace Out!

A/N: Look out for my next story, which I will be getting underway shortly, its called "Tiny Wooden Boxes"


End file.
